Emma Cott

SF Station Writer

In early February Teo Kridech, the owner of the French/Californian restaurant Watercress, opened Bistro Annex next door as an appeal to the thin wallets yet sophisticated palettes of San Francisco diners. In a section of the Mission defined by the severe contrast between cheap eats and restaurants with valet parking, Teo envisioned more of a middle ground. He has succeeded in creating an environment that is elegant without sacrificing comfort. More »

The aptly named Eighth Street Studios in Berkeley is a performance venue that has none of the frills of a theater; the warehouses of West Berkeley are no theater district. The entrance to the space, a cargo loading dock, opens into a lobby with the yawning emptiness of a high school gymnasium. As I paid the set designer at the folding table for my ticket to see Jean Claude Van Itallie's 'The Serpent', I felt more like I was attending a 9th-grade dance than a professional performance. More »